The Police Live

I will begin with my admittedly melodramatic statement: I never thought I would see it happen. The Police, reunited, live - and me in the audience. As they opened the show (with "Message in a Bottle"), all the significance of what this band meant to me as I was growing up struck me at once and, I'll admit, I actually got a little bit misty-eyed. I shook it off, of course, just in time for them to launch into Synchronicity II.

My friends, it was everything I'd hoped it would be. They sound fantastic: Sting sounding as strong vocally as he has in years, Stewart beating the life out of the set, and Andy's chiming tone sailing over the top. Although my seats were notso hotso (see the photo), I was thrilled to be there and had a great time.

Surprisingly, they played five tunes from Outlandos; "Roxanne" and "So Lonely" were to be expected, and "Can't Stand Losing You" was not a shocking choice, but "Truth Hits Everybody" and "Next to You" were very surprising. From Regatta, they did "Message in a Bottle", "Reggatta de Blanc" (as the bridge to "Can't Stand Losing You"), "Walking on the Moon", and "The Bed's Too Big Without You". Songs from Zenyatta were "Don't Stand So Close to Me", "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da'", and "Voices Inside My Head". Ghost had "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" and "Invisible Sun" and Synchronicity had "Synchronicity II", "Walking in Your Footsteps", "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", and "Wrapped Around Your Finger". I may be forgetting one or two, but that's pretty accurate as best I recall.

Staples Center was great. Sound in the upper deck was a bit muddled, but I've certainly heard worse in my life. The only way it could have been more fun would have been for me to catch the Dodger Stadium show, as Foo Fighters will be opening.

Cash out your retirement savings, sell the car, whatever it takes. Go see The Police live.

Me. Tomorrow.

The Police. Live. Me. Staples Center. Los Angeles.

I honestly never thought that what I will see and hear tomorrow would ever come to pass. I will, of course, provide a full report to my hombres upon my return.

Taint Watch.

Can't explain. Just watch.

There is no restraint.

Various and Sundrie

- Spoke to a good friend of ours today for a good hour. Good ol' Juan Paternito. He is in a fabulously great place and it was tremendous to speak to him, and I would venture to say that my fellow Hombres would feel the same. News of Vinnissimo's "ito" has reached the west coast, and he was glad to hear that many Pinatas are enjoying the San Diegan way of life.

- Seems that I still have a bit of juice after my decade in the record biz. I got a package of music from a friend a few weeks ago, and in addition to a very good Patty Griffin record and a very interesting (and very good) Rodrigo Y Gabriella record, I had the privilege of receiving the new Crowded House (shhh...it's not really out yet). Tell you what: 20 years after their classic, they've put out a record that will be in my CD player for a long, long time. I know I know. No one uses CDs anymore. So for you downloading geeks, go an' get it. It might not be as happy/power-poppy as their classic, but it's brilliant and beautiful nonetheless. I don't get turned on by new music very much these days, but this is a winner.

- I can't seem to stop eating ice cream, which doesn't put me in a very good position when I give "other" people a hard time for eating ice cream. Sorry, hon.

- Going to the JDRF fundraiser tomorrow night in swanky clothes. Go, cure!

- On the agenda in the next few weeks: writing a dissertation, riding my bike, running by the lake, cleaning the house, going to Knoxville, going to Ohio, having a garage sale, seeing a few concerts, seeing a play, playing a gig (!), maybe going to my h.s. reunion, and ultimately moving downstate. These will be a busy and quick two months.

Hombre!

A List...

...of Things For Which We Generally Don't Initially Think Well of, But Sometimes Are Really Really Really Good Things:

- Pharmaceutical Companies
- Insurance Companies
- Western Medicine
(um, yes, I really like my antibiotics, and I'm glad they're available, and my insurance helped them be affordable to me this week)

Other Things Also On That List:

- Attorneys (saved my ass in 2002, thank you very much)
- Corporate Profits (we are all cynical and stuff about this, but in reality, most of our IRAs and 401ks are tied to these, and we will be happy to retire with the benefits of a few decades of successful big business working for us)

those are the boring things on the list. any other things on the list?

hanson
saturns
hockey playoffs
sausage
road construction
paying for someone else to fix something in your house
sugar corn pops
little itty bitty tiny legs
mulch

that's it. i'm sure there is nothing left for the list.

Dude, Bro, I'm SO from there.

Kevlar, were you aware that I was freakin born here? Tell me that we are neighbors separated by only 38 years in the dimension of time. If so, then just SIT TIGHT and HANG OUT and just like in the movies if you don't go anywere eventually I'll show up. Is that how that works? How to we work out the wrinkle in the time-space continuum whereby Teo and Kevlar are actually San Diego buds? We are not separated by longitudinal distance, only the distance of time. We need a machine. Something that will solve this puzzle. Like a feature length film or an iTime machine or a Vinnissimo triggered tennis racket. (Raquet?) (Racket.)

Dudebro, you had no idea I was a California hippy liberal, did you?

Surf's up!

Hombre!

Sick Day

Interestingly, when you wake up at 4 a.m. in need of more Alka Seltzer Cold and Cough medicine so that you can get back to sleep, if you don't take out your ear plugs, there is a fairly large crowd of people in your kitchen giving you significant applause just for the simple act of taking medicine.

Picture it: Teo in his skivvies, face swollen, hair askew, vapo-rubbed and stumbling for fizzy medicine in the pre-dawn hours. Ear plugs in. "Thank you, thank you very much."

For the best entertainment of the day, go here. How is this not Vinnissimo's creation? Best link I've ever posted on the Hombre.

Hombre!